I just got that same calling~ Someone upstairs must be wanting us to get prepared! We organized our ward into zones, 12 for our ward. Each zone has a zone leader. Our zone is just up and down the street. In an emergency we contact each zone leader and they are responsible for checking with each family in their zone, member or not, and then reporting the needs back up the chain. Make sure when you organize your zone that you do so by streets, so that when the ward boundaries change most of your zones will stay in tack. I've lived in Perry 8 years and am in my fourth ward change! Crazy!

My son is doing this for an Eagle Project! In addition he made a flier with a list of things that may be needed in a disaster situation (eg: generators, tents, portable toilets Etc.) and the families in our neighborhood (we did this as a neighborhood, not just a ward) marked what they have. He also asked for their email and if they would be interested in monthly info about preparedness, food storage. He is compiling a data base with all the info. Then if there is a need, the Bishop (who is holding the data base) will be able to tell the Zone leader who has something that might help. It has been a lot of work for him but it has turned out great!

I moved from Utah County where I was the Emergency Preparedness Leader, and am now in St. George area and just got called to the R.S. as emergency preparedness/food storage. DH was called as Emergency Prepareness Leader. I had put together a powerpoint presentation in my previous ward that I am willing to share. I presented this in the 5th Sunday Priesthood/RS meeting.

Thanks for everything you are all sharing. It is always good to have new/different ideas.

In my previous ward, the RS food storage specialist and I put on a serious of 3 workshops (enrichments) on how to use food storage and how to store for 3 months based on meals/menus. It was very well received.

Reviving this thread! My husband got called as the Emergency Preparedness Specialist and we need all the great ideas we can get! I love what everyone has shared so far!

Just (finally) got released after 3 years here, and 2 years in previous ward, in that calling. It was actually a lot of fun!!! (And they still haven't released me as the food storage specialist...)

I did a blog for our ward, and with weekly challenges to get 72-hr kits together, then topics on emergency preparedness, examples of situations and how to prepare, links to resources, etc.

http://cimarronfoodstorage.blogspot.com/
(Don't mind the name - it says food storage but it also had a ton of emergency prep stuff the first 3 years - I'd recommend going back to the very start and looking through, especially the weekly challenges)

There are lists for making first-aid kits, hygiene kits, suggested meals for 72-hour kits, ideas on containers, water storage, etc.

In my latest area, the city is VERY, VERY active in emergency prep, so our ward calling also by default put us on the city's emergency volunteer CERT team, which was kinda fun! We run semi-annual drills, have monthly meetings with the city and fire/police departments, etc. Most areas I've been in aren't quite this organized, so this may not end up being part of the "calling" for your husband. But he'll still want to work with the bishop to set up a ward emergency plan, and block captains, etc.

There are TONS of ways to approach the calling, but I found that what worked best was prayer (to know what the needs of the families in the ward were - every ward is different, and even each family will be in a different step of progress) AND approaching it with moderation. The whole doomsday prepping thing is really big right now, and a lot of people are hopping on that bandwagon, but there are also a lot of people who are intimidated, or scared away, or even just plain turned off by that level of zeal. So I would suggest starting very basic, and not going to any extremes. If your husband likes prepping as a hobby, just remind him it's that - a personal hobby - and that not everyone will want to be that dedicated to prepping, so just be gentle with those that don't want to go that far in their preparations. Serve as a resource for the bishop and for ward members - you can't force them to prepare, but you can help them once they make a decision to start preparing. And it doesn't have to be big stuff. I tried to focus on 72-hr kits, financial savings, water storage and then additional preparations as time and money and resources would allow (so they can take it as far as they feel comfortable).

Best advice though? Stick with what the Brethren have said, and what the Church recommends. There are a TON of blogs and resources out there, many of which originate with LDS folks or groups, that tend to stray just a bit from the straight and narrow, and you don't want to inadvertently lead anyone on a path that might do more harm than good. Use caution when passing along info - if you can't verify it yourself with good sources, don't pass it on. Avoid passing around personal stories or "testimonies" of second-coming type stuff - that is dangerous ground since it is all speculation. There are lots of sites that have good info, but sometimes it is mixed with some "gray area" stuff - it's fine to go through that stuff as a personal hobby, or for personal use, etc. But it isn't okay to propagate it as part of your calling - you need to stick with what is Church-approved, Church-published and what the Brethren have said. (I hope that doesn't sound too harsh - I just have dealt with a lot of it over the last three years, and have seen some bad results, so just want to caution others to be careful.) Remember, you'll now represent the Church in your calling, so be careful what you "publish" to/for your ward. [For example, lists from Red Cross of what to pack in emergency kits, info on preparing for disasters from city or state government sources, etc - TOTALLY OKAY TO SHARE. Conspiracy theories, undocumented quotes from others on the second coming (really, anything not from the Brethren AND not officially published by the Church [i.e. "I heard Pres. Packer say in my friend's stake conference...."], thoughts or theories on coming destructions, comet theories, financial collapse of country, tent cities, mass exodus, etc. - NOT OKAY to share as part of your calling. Share that kind of stuff with friends who you know are interested, if that's something you have in common, but not officially as part of your calling.]

http://cimarronfoodstorage.blogspot....it-repost.html
This was one of the most popular posts that I put up on my blog - it is VERY basic, and you can do it in 15 minutes! It's a great way to get people started. When I first started in the calling, we had a 72-hr "food" kit that was woefully inadequate and 6 years old (disgusting!), and a bucket with a few basic supplies (which I now have learned weren't the right supplies to start with), and I was TOTALLY overwhelmed! There is a TON of info out there, and the thought of getting "prepared" really scares people because they don't know where to start or how to make a plan to start or even where to turn for help. So break it down for those who are just starting, and then provide resources and suggestions/ideas for those who are further along. ANY PREPARATION IS BETTER THAN NO PREPARATION AT ALL - even if your 72-hour kit is only a roll of toilet paper and a can of diet coke in a plastic grocery sack! That's still better than nothing!

A lot of cities are starting to publish emergency preparedness resources and links, and there are quite a few manuals out there with lots of good info that you can pick apart and share in like monthly messages or firesides, etc.